UXT Is Required for Spermatogenesis in Mice
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RESEARCH ARTICLE UXT is required for spermatogenesis in mice Eric D. Schafler1,2☯, Phillip A. Thomas1☯, Susan Ha1,3, Yu Wang3,4, Keria Bermudez- Hernandez5,6, Zuojian Tang5,6, David FenyoÈ 1,5,6, Margarita Vigodner7,8, Susan K. Logan1,3* 1 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States of America, 2 Pathobiology and Translational Medicine Training Program, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States of America, 3 Department of Urology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States of America, 4 Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States of America, 5 Institute for Systems Genetics, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, United States of America, 6 Center for Health Informatics and Bioinformatics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, a1111111111 United States of America, 7 Department of Biology, Stern College, Yeshiva University, New York, NY, United a1111111111 States of America, 8 Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology, Albert Einstein College of a1111111111 Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States of America a1111111111 ☯ These authors contributed equally to this work. a1111111111 * [email protected] Abstract OPEN ACCESS Male mammals must simultaneously produce prodigious numbers of sperm and maintain Citation: Schafler ED, Thomas PA, Ha S, Wang Y, an adequate reserve of stem cells to ensure continuous production of gametes throughout Bermudez-Hernandez K, Tang Z, et al. (2018) UXT is required for spermatogenesis in mice. PLoS ONE life. Failures in the mechanisms responsible for balancing germ cell differentiation and sper- 13(4): e0195747. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. matogonial stem cell (SSC) self-renewal can result in infertility. We discovered a novel pone.0195747 requirement for Ubiquitous Expressed Transcript (UXT) in spermatogenesis by developing Editor: Shree Ram Singh, National Cancer Institute, the first knockout mouse model for this gene. Constitutive deletion of Uxt is embryonic lethal, UNITED STATES while conditional knockout in the male germline results in a Sertoli cell-only phenotype dur- Received: July 18, 2017 ing the first wave of spermatogenesis that does not recover in the adult. This phenotype Accepted: March 28, 2018 begins to manifest between 6 and 7 days post-partum, just before meiotic entry. Gene expression analysis revealed that Uxt deletion downregulates the transcription of genes Published: April 12, 2018 governing SSC self-renewal, differentiation, and meiosis, consistent with its previously Copyright: © 2018 Schafler et al. This is an open defined role as a transcriptional co-factor. Our study has revealed the first in vivo function for access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which UXT in the mammalian germline as a regulator of distinct transcriptional programs in SSCs permits unrestricted use, distribution, and and differentiating spermatogonia. reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Data Availability Statement: All RNA-seq files are available from the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database (accession number GSE111740). Introduction All other relevant data are within the paper and its Spermatogenesis is a complex process of transformation that requires perfect reliability to Supporting Information files. ensure the accurate transmission of genetic material to the next generation. Failure at any Funding: This work was supported by the National point in this process can compromise an individual's ability to reproduce. One of the major Institutes of Health (R01CA112226) (SL). We challenges for male reproduction is to balance the prodigious production of sperm with the would like to acknowledge the shared resources of maintenance of an adequate stem cell reserve that ensures continuous output throughout life. the NYUMC Genome Technology Center, High Throughput Biology Core (HTB), Histopathology According to current models, it is hypothesized that the establishment of the male germ Core, and Immunohistochemistry Core, which are line begins with neonatal gonocytes. Gonocytes can either differentiate into spermatogonial all partially supported by the Cancer Center stem cells (SSCs), which self-renew [1], or differentiate into A1 spermatogonia, which PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0195747 April 12, 2018 1 / 21 UXT in spermatogenesis Support Grant NIH/NCI P30CA016087 at the Laura ultimately become sperm [1, 2]. Gonocytes transitioning into spermatogonial stem cells and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center. The HTB is express the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor NEUROG3 (NGN3), while gonocytes also supported by NYSTEM Contract C026719. The committed to differentiation will express C-KIT as A spermatogonia, skipping the SSC and funders had no role in study design, data collection 1 and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of NGN3-positive stages [1, 3]. While this finding has been instrumental in understanding the the manuscript. establishment of the male germline, little is known about the factors that regulate the balance between gonocytes transitioning to form C-KIT positive A spermatogonia, versus establishing Competing interests: The authors have declared 1 that no competing interests exist. the SSC pool. Asingle (As) cells are thought to constitute the SSC population in the adult testis [4], though recent studies suggest that there is heterogeneity within this population with regard to gene expression and stem-like potential [5]. As first divide to form Apaired (Apr) spermatogonia which in turn divide to form chains of Aaligned (Aal) spermatogonia, connected by intercellular bridges [6]. As, Apr, and Aal spermatogonia are collectively called Aundiff spermatogonia which can be identified by various markers such as ID4, GFRA1, and NGN3. Other proteins that play a role in maintaining the SSC pool include LIN28A [7, 8], ZBTB16 (PLZF) [9, 10], and DNMT3L [11]. The transition between Aal spermatogonia into differentiated type A1 spermatogonia is reg- ulated by retinoic acid (RA) which is required for germ cell differentiation [12]. Exposure of adult Aal spermatogonia to RA induces the expression of various differentiation markers such as C-KIT and Stimulated by retinoic acid gene 8 (STRA8), which mark the beginning of meiosis in spermatogenesis [13]. While these findings have been integral to our knowledge surround- ing the various signals that are important for differentiation versus self-renewal, the factors that govern the balance between these two processes have yet to be elucidated. It has been demonstrated that the UXT (also known as ART-27, STAP1, and SKP2 Associ- ated-Alpha PFD1, NM_013840.3) binding partner unconventional prefoldin RPB5 interactor (URI) plays an integral role in germ cell survival, and loss of URI ultimately leads to sterility in C. elegans [14, 15]. We have further characterized the transcriptional functions of URI, and determined that its stability is highly dependent upon the expression of its binding partner UXT [16]. UXT is an X-linked gene that is expressed in a number of somatic human tissues [17]. UXT serves as a co-factor for multiple transcription factors (TFs), including GATA4, NF- κB, androgen receptor (AR), and other nuclear receptors [18±22]. It has been shown that as a co-factor, UXT can possess inhibitor functions in certain growth and development pathways, such as seen with AR, and EVI1 [20, 23]. UXT, in concert with the RPB5 binding partner URI, has also been found to regulate AR target gene expression by binding to gene promoters and enhancers [16, 20]. Despite the interaction of UXT with URI and the importance of URI in germ cells, little is known about the role of UXT in germ cell establishment and maintenance [14, 15]. To assess the role of UXT in vivo, we engineered mice carrying a floxed Uxt. Constitutive deletion of Uxt resulted in embryonic lethality suggesting a critical role for this protein in embryonic develop- ment. To address the role of UXT in germ cells, in this report we describe the first knockout mouse model of UXT, which upon specific inactivation of Uxt in the male germline exhibited sterility. We demonstrate that the loss of UXT resulted in a dramatic loss of germ cells in a nar- row time window during the first spermatogenic wave eventually leading to a Sertoli cell-only phenotype that did not recover in the adult. RNA-seq data together with qPCR analysis and immunohistochemical studies revealed downregulation of important genes responsible for germ cell differentiation and entrance into meiosis, as well as those responsible for establish- ment and maintenance of SSCs. This work highlights the previously unexplored role of UXT in spermatogenesis, and demonstrates its requirement in germ cell survival and its potential role in the regulation of specific transcriptional programs governing male germ cell differenti- ation and SSC maintenance. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0195747 April 12, 2018 2 / 21 UXT in spermatogenesis Materials and methods Generation of Uxt conditional knockout mice Uxt F/F mice on a 129/SvJ background were generated by Ozgene (Australia). Genomic frag- ments approximately 7kb in length were amplified by PCR from C57 Bl/6 genomic DNA to generate 5' and 3' homology arms, which included exons 1±2 and exons 4±7, respectively. Exon 3 was amplified